Portable salt dissolver for melting ice and snow



March 12, 1968 J. D. RYAN 3,372,995

PORTABLE SALT DISSOLVER FOR MELTING ICE AND SNOW Filed Dec. S51, 1964 {a 5013mm CHLORIDE CRYSTALS Z? 6? 56 on n J 2'5. 1 @Z6 6; o I; 0 2a 77 INVENTOR. J0$PH .D. W?

WFwF/I FP United States Patent Office 3,372,995 Patented Mar. 12, 1968 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An apparatus having a tank for containing sodium chloride crystals, the tank having an inlet at the lower end and an outlet at the upper end for passing water therethrough, the dispensing liquid comprising a solution including dissolved sodium chloride, the solution being used for spraying over a sidewalk or roadway to prevent formation of, or dissolving existing ice and snow, the tank including a waterti-ght door at its upper end for use to replenish the sodium chloride crystals when used up.

This invention relates to a chemical snow and ice dissolver adapted for use on sidewalks, driveways, roadways and elsewhere, for melting and thus removing accumulations of ice and snow.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a portable apparatus which will discharge by a spray or otherwise, a solution of an ice and snow melting ingredient such as sodium chloride on a sidewalk, etc. covered with ice and/or snow, to melt the same or to prevent the formation of ice or the settling of snow thereon.

Another object of this invention is to provide a mobile container or tank supported on wheels or casters, in which a supply of sodium chloride crystals is placed, delivering water through a valve controlled pipe line to the bottom of the tank to dissolve and/ or place in solution the sodium chloride crystals, and to discharge from the top of the tank into a discharge pipe, said solution for application to an ice or snow-covered sidewalk, etc., to melt the same.

A further object of this invention is to provide a wheel supported mobile tank with a hinged top for the ready placement within the tank of a supply of sodium chloride crystals, the top being so constructed as to effect a Watertight seal with the walls of the tank when closed; providing an inlet conduit connected to the lower end of the tank at one side thereof substantially in line with the bottom of the tank and in providing an outlet conduit connected to the upper end of the tank on its side opposite that to which the inlet conduit is connected and adjacent the top thereof.

Still another object of this invention relates to providing a filter screen mounted within the tank adjacent the top thereof and below the discharge outlet.

Other objects of this invention are to provide the inlet conduit with a manually operated valve located adjacent the side of the tank to which the inlet conduit is connected; to provide a hand held bar at the top of the tank for pulling or pushing the same and a locking structure for the hinged top.

Further objects of the invention will appear as the description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the above and related objects, my invention may be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings, attention being called to the fact, however, that the drawings are illustrative only, and that change may be made in the specific construction illustrated and described within the scope of the appended claim:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the invention,

FIGURE 2 is a front elevational view thereof,

FIGURE 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 3-3, FIGURE 2.

Referring in detail to the drawings, 10 denotes a container or tank which in the form shown, comprises a bottom 12, front wall 14, rear wall 16, and side walls 18, 20. The tank 10 may be made of and desired metal that will not corrode or be atfected by sodium chloride, the use of which will be hereinafter described. The walls and bottom of the tank are joined together in any suitable manner to provide a water-tight container. Secured at each corner of the tank bottom 12 is a caster unit 24, each having a roller on wheel 26.

The top of the tank comprises a top wall portion 28 that extends between side walls 18, 20 adjacent to rear wall 16 and is rigidly secured thereto. Along the front edge of the fixed top portion 28, there is provided an integral ledge 30 that extends between the tank side walls at a level lower than said top portion, as shown in FIGURE 3. A cover 34 is formed with an integral apron 36 along the front and sides thereof, the outer surfaces of which lie flush with the outer surfaces of the tank front and side walls when the cover 34 is closed, see FIGURE 1. The rear side of the cover 34 in its closed position rests on the ledge 30, see FIGURE 3, and is connected to the top portion 28 by the hinges 38. The lower terminal edge portion of the cover apron 36 is deflected inwardly to form a lip as at 40' so as to provide a shoulder 43 that seats on the top edge 44 of the front wall 14 and side walls 18, 20; the lip 40 engaging the inside surface of the front and side walls when the cover 34 is closed. The front and side walls 14, 18 and 20, are cut-out at their upper portions to accommodate the apron 36 of the cover, such that when the cover 34 is closed, the top surface thereof will lie flush and in the same horizontal plane with the top wall portion 28. The lip 40 on apron 36 and its coaction with the tank walls will eifect a substantially water tight seal when the cover is closed.

Suitably attached to the top wall portion 28 is a handle bar 50 which may be grasped by an operator to move the tank 10 from place to place. To lock the cover 34, there is provided a hasp unit 52 which is adapted to receive a padlock in the manner well known. Angle-bar brackets 56-, 58 are respectively secured in any desired manner to the tank front wall 14 and rear wall 16 adjacent the upper end thereof and function to support a removable filter screen 60.

Provided on the front wall 14 of the tank 10 adjacent the bottom 12, thereof, is an opening 62 in which is suitably connected the inlet end of a conduit 64 provided with a valve 66. A like opening 68 in the rear wall 16 of the tank 10 located above the filter screen 60 has suitably connected therein one end of a discharge conduit 70.

The conduit 64 may either be a rigid conduit fixedly connecting the tank 10 to a source of water supply (not shown) or it may be a length of flexible hose such as to permit mobility of the tank 10 limited only by the length of hose making up the conduit 64. By the same token, the discharge conduit 70 may be a length of flexi ble hose to which is afiixed a spray nozzle (not shown).

In the use of the portable snow and ice dissolver, there is provided in the tank 10 a charge of sodium chloride crystals, with the conduit 64 connected to a source of water supply and the valve 66 open, water will flow through the sodium chloride crystals dissolving the same to provide a sodium chloride solution that will flow upwardly through the filter screen 60* and out of the tank 10 through the discharge conduit 70; the solution being then applied by spray or otherwise to the ice or snow to melt the same. The filter screen 60 is of such a mesh as to hold back undissolved crystals of sodium chloride, and the flow of water upwardly through the crystals will act to agitate the same such as to facilitate their going into solution. The flow of water into tank 10 may readily be controlled by valve 66.

- While certain novel features of my invention have been shown and described and are pointed out in the annexed claim, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions and changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and in its operation can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A mobile snow and ice dissolver comprising:

(a) a rectangular tank having a horizontal bottom and parallel upstanding front and rear walls and parallel connecting side walls,

(b) a horizontal top wall portion along the rear side of the top of said tank secured to the adjacent side walls and the rear wall providing a forward open- (c) a depressed ledge extending horizontally forwardly along the forward free edge of said top wall portions,

(d) the side walls forwardly of said ledge and the front wall being cut-out to provide a wall edge below the plane of said top wall portion,

(e) a cover for said forward opening having a fiat top provided at its forward edge with a depending forward wall and at its side edges with depending side Walls defining a U-shaped apron terminating along its lower free edge in an inwardly offset downwardly extending lip to provide a shoulder and with the rear portion of the cover top extending rearwardly beyond the rear end of said apron,

'(f) hinge means connecting the rear portion of the cover top to the forward free edge of the top wall portion, whereby with said cover in closed position, the rear portion of the cover top will overlie and seat on said depressed ledge and said shoulder will seat on the upper terminal edge of said front and side walls defined by the forward opening, and said apron lip will engage the inside wall surface of said front and side walls adjacent the forward opening to effect a substantially watertight seal, (g) a handle bar means secured to said top wall portion, (h) locking means on said cover and a tank wall for locking the cover in closed position,

(i) a caster wheel secured to the bottom wall at each corner thereof to provide mobility to said tank, (j) a removable horizontal transverse filter screen supported on parallel horizontally opposed brackets within said tank adjacent the forward opening thereof, (k) a water supply conduit including a valve connected to the front wall adjacent the bottom of the tank, and (l) a discharge conduit connected to the rear wall at a location between the filter screen and said top wall portion.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 578,089 3/1897 Webb 23267 X 805,276 11/1905 Flitton 23-267 1,788,404 1/1931 Murray 23-267 2,395,258 2/1946 Drake 23- 309 X 2,634,110 4/1953 Rupp 239-310 X FOREIGN PATENTS 736,269 9/1932 France.

354 2/1871 Great Britain.

1,310,863 10/1962 France.

W ILBUR L. BASCOMB, JR., Primary Examiner.

NORMAN YUDKOFF, Examiner.

S. I. EMERY, Assistant Examiner. 

